Nazfar Mirhadi has been charged in connection with a kidnapping plot. — Submitted photo

A meeting at the Denman Tap House restaurant ended with Sulaiman Safi being led out the back door, muscled into a vehicle and kidnapped over a missing $440,000, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The kidnapping and associated death threats came after a deal with a North Vancouver realtor to transfer $400,000 to the U.S. from Canada went sideways, Crown counsel Sandra Dworkin said in her opening statement Tuesday. Dworkin outlined a kidnapping scenario that had Nazfar Mirhadi, a former realtor now standing trial along with six others, at the centre of events.

Dworkin said kidnap victim Safi met with Mirhadi in October 2011 and agreed to help Mirhadi and her associates transfer the money.

The arrangement was for Safi, who now is serving a lengthy jail term in the U.S. in a major drug conspiracy, to take $440,000 to his friends and have his friends get the money across the border, said Dworkin.

Due to communication issues something went wrong with the actual transfer of the money and the funds did not get to where they were supposed to be, said the prosecutor.

“After a couple of days, Mirhadi demanded the money to be returned. On Oct. 13, Mr. Safi went to retrieve the money from his friends in order to return it to Mirhadi.”

Dworkin’s opening statement in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver came a day after Mirhadi and six of her co-accused had pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other offences.

Dworkin said Safi was able to get a substantial portion of the money, about $264,000, back from his friend and placed in a cab.

But as Safi followed the cab, the police stopped the vehicle and seized the money.

“Ms. Mirhadi did not believe Mr. Safi when he told her what had happened. She accused him of robbing them. She held him responsible and demanded that the full amount of money be returned.”

Over the next week, Safi tried to obtain proof that the police had seized the money to convince Mirhadi and a friend of hers that he was telling the truth, said Dworkin.

But Mirhadi demanded a meeting with Safi to discuss the return of the money, a meeting that took place at the Denman Tap House restaurant, said the Crown.

As they were talking in the restaurant, two additional men, accused kidnappers Demple Brar and Robert Carr, approached them, Dworkin said.

The men were not known to Safi and Brar took control of the meeting, asking Safi to come to his office, said Dworkin.

But the “office” turned out to be the back lane of the restaurant.

Edmond Gammel and David Tarrant, two more accused kidnappers, joined Safi in the back lane and a vehicle occupied by accused kidnapper Thomas Crawford drove up, said Dworkin.

Safi was placed in the vehicle and taken to a location in Richmond where he was held overnight for a total of approximately 20 hours, she said.

“He was tied up and threatened with bodily harm and death. A gun was put to his head and he was threatened that his fingers would be cut off if he did not pay the money. Safi negotiated his release with his kidnappers so he could come up with his payment.”

Safi agreed to come up with enough money and cocaine to cover the demands of his captors in exchange for his freedom, said the prosecutor.

Police meanwhile had got wind of the kidnapping and were conducting surveillance.

They watched as Safi was led from a Richmond apartment and placed in one of two vehicles, which then drove off with police following them, said Dworkin.

The two vehicles pulled over abruptly on Highway 91 and Safi exited one of the vehicles and started to run. Safi was then rescued by police.

Five of the accused kidnappers — Gammel, Carr, Crawford, Veronica Moncur and Tarrant — were arrested from the two vehicles.

Mirhadi and Brar later surrendered themselves to police.

Dworkin told B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Catherine Bruce she would be relying on a “web of direct and circumstantial” evidence to prove the Crown’s case.

Earlier, the judge agreed to a Crown request to have Safi testify by video link from California, where he is serving an 81-month jail term in the drug conspiracy. That application had been opposed by the defence.

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